Have you ever tasted anything and thought ‘Where have you been all my life?’ Sure you have. I experienced that early on with mushrooms, a little later with (real) pimento cheese and most recently with Padrón peppers.
The Padrón gets its name from the village in Galacia (northwestern Spain) that made the pepper famous. But these beauties are indigenous to South America. By most accounts, they ended up in Spain in the 1700s, by way of some traveling Spanish monks. The rest, as they say, is history.
Padróns are thin-fleshed peppers that are harvested green at about two inches. They are quite unassuming as far as peppers go — no pungent smell or fiery appearance. As for the flavor? The fried (blistered) version is part pepper, part eggplant and maybe even part okra. It’s just outstanding and, dare I say, addicting. The caveat: About one in 10 of these little gems turns up the heat. Some people claim it’s the larger versions, but that turned out not to be the case from my garden.
Can’t find Padrón peppers at your farmer’s market? Try Shishitos. They’re very similar. Otherwise, grow your own like I did. (Seeds are available at a number of online retailers.)
Oh, and you’re welcome.
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Fried Padrón Peppers
Fried Padrón Peppers — Tastes like a cross between eggplant, peppers and okra. Phenomenal.
- 3 cups (about ½ lb) – Fresh Padrón peppers
- 1 TB – Extra virgin olive oil
- Kosher or sea salt
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high almost to the smoking point.
- Add peppers.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until peppers are softened and slightly charred, about 3-4 minutes.
- Salt to taste.
- Enjoy, whole.